Affairs of State

(Newser) - A Diane Sawyer special about sex workers will air this week after 2 years on the shelf, Rush & Molloy report in the New York Daily News, and the ABC newshound can thank Eliot Spitzer. Previously considered too sensational for prime time, the show is now closer to "ripped from the headlines." It highlights legal brothels like Nevada's Moonlite Bunny Ranch, where Sawyer "really hit it off with all my girls," the owner says. More »

(Newser) - Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey's wife Dina was all over the media last week blasting Eliot Spitzer for hypocrisy and empathizing with this aggrieved wife. That was too much for Teddy Pedersen, a former McGreevey driver and aide who says  “she’s out there being as dishonest as anyone could be.” Pederson says Dina had to know her hubby was gay all along because Pedersen had three-way sex with the couple on numerous occasions. More »

(Newser) - With the New York Times in the spotlight for breaking the Eliot Spitzer story, the paper’s urban-affairs correspondent tackles a flood of reader questions, ranging from whether Hillary Clinton will still get Spitzer’s superdelegate vote (“she loses it”) to how the Times got the story in the first place (“we do not discuss anything on sensitive reporting”). More »

(Newser) - Disgraced soon-to-be-ex-governor Eliot Spitzer's troubles could get even worse as prosecutors probe whether he used campaign funds for his meetings with prostitutes, the New York Times reports. Criminal charges linked to the payments could follow if federal investigators discover campaign money paid for the hotel rooms and transportation Spitzer used for his call-girl trysts. More »

(Newser) - Although Eliot Spitzer’s political career is over, it remains unclear what legal fate awaits the disgraced New York governor, the Wall Street Journal reports. Spitzer’s resignation wasn’t part of any deal, the feds confirm, but makes him less of a legal target. One possibility is a deferred-prosecution settlement, in which Spitzer would admit to the crime—but ultimately won't be prosecuted. More »

(Newser) - The richest man in England has been linked to the prostitution ring patronized by Eliot Spitzer, the New York Daily News reports. Sources identified Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster, as Emperors Club “Client 6,” who arranged four visits in late 2006. Grosvenor is a close friend of Prince Charles—and godfather to Prince William, second in line to the throne. More »

(Newser) - At the center of Eliot Spitzer’s fall from grace is 22-year-old Kristen, aka Ashley Alexandra Dupre, a high-priced escort and aspiring R&B singer who left her self-proclaimed "broken family" in New Jersey at age 17 to pursue a musical career in New York. “I just don’t want to be thought of as a monster,” she told the New York Times . More »

(Newser)